🚀 go-pugleaf

 
William Unruh (unruh@physics.ubc.ca) wrote:
: After my first post, I became afraid that that article had really been
: meant as satire, in the vein of Swift's "A Modest Proposal". As such it
: was actually rather good. However I am relieved that if I missed the
: satire so did a lot of others.
: Back to reading about DES, RSA etc.
: 

I posted the original "Assault Keys" piece. (I was also the one who
posted the first synopsis of Dorothy Denning's "Trial Balloon.") I've
stayed out of the debate on this aspect, especially as it degenerated
into "guns kill people" and "guns save us from dictatorship" flames
and counterflames.

Part of the piece was satire, as Mr. Unruh conjectures, though deadly
serious. I wanted to make the obvious connections and remind folks of
what government registration can do--and has done--to what were once
basic rights (whether you agree with the rights or not). I didn't put
any smileys in because I saw no need to vitiate my points.

Some months back I posted a more obvious satire, "Registration of
Assault Speech," which made the point that the government could, using
the arguments which also flow through this key registration thread,
require that "free speech" be regulated, subjected to a 15-day waiting
period (to "cool off," don't you know), and so on. Speech permits
would be available, for not more that $35 (to handle processing and
administration fees, of course).

As I said in another posting, we should thank Prof. Denning for
raising this issue. It needs debate. The many technical problems
raised, having to do with crypto protocols, with which keys get
registered, with whether and how illegal encryption can be detected,
and so on, fit right in with the sci.crypt charter.

So on with the debate.

-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay@netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
408-688-5409           | knowledge, reputations, information markets, 
W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA  | black markets, collapse of governments.
Higher Power: 2^756839 | PGP Public Key: awaiting Macintosh version.